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he was in truce and living luxuriously, being pampered by the care of his own sisters, whom he used for everything, Martha, as one appearing to him as a a mother and leading him in household matters, being the wife of the Grand Domestic, one held in very high honor by the emperor; that famous man was Tarchaneiotes, and Eulogia, as one who also had a good character and was more troubled than that other one on the emperor's behalf, but I do not know if it was also by suggesting good hopes to the emperor concerning the great city, that he would take it by fate. And the fate, after the city was taken, she narrated with a clear voice and expressed amazement as she spoke, but it was necessary also for her who spoke before to be charming. And it was thus: the emperor was being put to sleep, a baby by a wet nurse, once in a cradle, but often he grew wild and cried his eyes out, driving sleep away, and since she had to quiet the wild child with some 181 melody, she composed many from practice and sang them, but she charmed him not at all. But whenever, speaking endearingly with closed lips, she went through the story about the city—and the story was how "well done" to the emperor of the city and how he was destined to enter through the Golden Gate and how, being magnified there, he would accomplish this and that—immediately, charmed by these things as if by Sirens, the child would fall silent and was somehow gently and pleasantly put to sleep. Thus were the sisters to the emperor, both long ago for his proper care and then too attending and looking after him, at whose insistence he did many things for certain people as benefactions, and he paid attention to them when they gave counsel and complied. And it is said that by their counsel, and more so that of Eulogia—for the other was softer in most things—he chose for John to live as a private citizen.

24. Concerning the caliph and the Persians, how they were subjected to the Tochars. At that time also the Tochars, whom common custom calls Tatars, flowing together like a torrent against Persia, the caliph died, being fed morsels of gold by them, not so much from the necessity of slaughter as from mockery, since it was possible to pour out gold and defeat the enemy, but he loved that more than himself, so as to literally eat gold. And so he was supposedly suffocated by his own judgement, while the affairs of Persia were already sick and in a bad state, so that not even the sultan Azatines himself was left without fear. For the Persians dreaded the nation and were negligent, each seeking to save himself as best he could. And the affairs concerning the rule of Persia were tossed by waves, with the satraps rising up, so that two of the magnates from there went over to the emperor, having readily disdained the sultan, as he lived stupidly and like an 183 intemperate private citizen; these were the Vasilikoi, men originally from Rhodes, but having become familiars of the sultan from theatrical practice, but nevertheless also, as being well-endowed with intelligence, holding the first places with him, and abounding in much gold, both that which was in drinking cups and that which was worked into caliphal coinage; and the amount of robes, and moreover of stones and pearls, was sufficient to make those who knew marvel. So, having been reminded of their old friendship with the emperor, it seeming sufficient to them that the ruler, having long ago been treated well by them, should in turn remember the favor, having become emperor and being powerful, having received pledges through secret imperial letters and having arranged their own affairs well, they proceeded at full speed to the emperor in the guise of deserters. And he received them gladly and honored them with appropriate things, appointing Basileios as *parakoimomenos* of the bedchamber, and showing the other, Basiliskos, to be Grand *Hetaireiarch*; and he used these men, who appeared most capable in affairs, and the friendship of the emperor toward them was present. And they, having many things from home, and having received not a few things also from the emperor for their household, served the emperor very faithfully and benevolently, having been transformed according to the Roman way; for nothing so establishes goodwill towards the empire

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ἐν ἀνακωχαῖς ἦν καὶ ἐτρύφα, τῇ τῶν γυναικῶν αὐταδέλφων θεραπείᾳ θρυπτόμενος, αἷς καὶ εἰς πάντ' ἐχρῆτο, τῇ μὲν Μάρθᾳ, ὡς αὐτῷ φανείσῃ κατὰ μητέρα καὶ κατ' οἶκον ἀναγούσῃ, τῷ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ εἰς ὁμόζυγον οὔσῃ, πολλοῦ τινος τιμωμένῳ τῷ βασιλεῖὁ περίπυστος δ' ἦν ἐκεῖνος Ταρχανειώτης, τῇ δ' Εὐλογίᾳ, ὡς καὶ αὐτῇ καλῶς ἐχούσῃ τοῦ ἤθους καὶ πλέον ἢ ἐκείνη τυρβα ζομένῃ πρὸς βασιλέα, οὐκ οἶδα δὲ εἰ καὶ τῷ ὑποτείνειν ἐλπίδας χρηστὰς ἐπὶ τῇ μεγαλοπόλει τῷ βασιλεῖ ὡς ταύτην αἱρήσοντι ἐκ μορσίμου. Τὸ δὲ μόρσι μον, μεθὸ μὲν ἡ πόλις ἑάλω, ἐκείνη τρανῷ διηγεῖτο στόματι καὶ ἀπεθαύμαζε λέγουσα, ἔδει δὲ καὶ τὴν πρὸ τοῦ λέγουσαν θέλγειν. Τὸ δὲ ἦν, ὡς κατακοιμί ζοιτο μὲν ὁ βασιλεύς, ὑπὸ τίτθης βρέφος, ἐν λίκνῳ ποτέ, πολλάκις δ' ἠγρίαινέ τε καὶ ἐκλαυθμύριζε, τὸν ὕπνον ἀποδιοπομπούμενον, ἐπεὶ δ' ἐκείνην ἔδει τινὶ 181 μελῳδίᾳ τὸ ἀγριαῖνον κατασιγᾶν, πολλὰ μὲν ἐκ μελέτης συνεῖρε καὶ ἐμελῴδει, οὐδενὶ δ' ἔθελγε τὸ παράπαν. Ἀλλ' ὅταν, μεμυκόσι χείλεσιν ὑποκοριζομένη, τὸ περὶ τὴν πόλιν διεξῄειἦν δὲ τὸ λεγόμενον ὡς εὖγε τῷ βασιλεῖ τῆς πόλεως καὶ ὡς κατὰ τὴν Χρυσέαν πύλην εἰσελθεῖν μέλλοι καὶ ὡς τὸ καὶ τὸ ἐκεῖσε μεγαλυνόμενος ἐκτελέσειεν, αὐτίκα τούτοις ὥσπερ σειρῆσι τὸ παιδίον θελγόμενον κατεσίγα καί πως μαλακῶς καὶ ἡδέως κατεκοιμίζετο. Οὕτως ἦσαν αἱ αὐτάδελφαι τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ πάλαι μὲν εἰς προμήθειαν τὴν προσήκου σαν καὶ τότε δὲ πολυωροῦσαί τε καὶ κηδεύουσαι, ὑφ' αἷς λιπαρούσαις μὲν πολλά τισιν εἰς εὐεργεσίας ἔπραττε, συμβουλευούσαις δὲ προσεῖχε καὶ συγκατήνυε. Λέγεται δὲ καὶ ὡς βουλῇ σφῶν, καὶ μᾶλλον τῆς Εὐλογίας θατέρα γὰρ περὶ τὰ πλεῖστα μαλακώτερον εἶχεν, ἰδιωτεύειν τὸν Ἰωάννην αἱροῖτο.

κδʹ. Τὰ κατὰ τὸν χαλυφᾶν καὶ τοὺς Πέρσας ὅπως Τοχάροις ὑπετάγησαν. Τηνικαῦτα καὶ τῶν Τοχάρων, οὓς ἡ κοινὴ Ἀταρίους λέγει συνήθεια, δίκην συρρευσάντων χειμάρρου κατὰ Περσίδος, ὁ μὲν χαλυφᾶς χρυσοῖς παρ' ἐκείνων ψωμιζόμενος ἐτελεύτα, οὐ μᾶλλον κατὰ χρείαν σφαγῆς ἢ κατὰ χλεύην, ὡς ἐξὸν τὸν χρυσὸν ἐκχέειν καὶ νικᾶν τὸν ἐχθρόν, ὁ δ' ἠγάπα πλέον ἐκεῖνον ἢ ἑαυτόν, ὡς καὶ χρυσοτραγήσων ἄντικρυς. Καὶ ὁ μὲν οὕτως κατ' οἰκείαν κρίσιν δῆθεν ἐπνίγετο, τὰ δὲ τῆς Περσίδος ἤδη ἐνόσει καὶ κακῶς εἶχεν, ὡς μηδὲ δίχα φόβου καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν σουλτὰν Ἀζατίνην ἐᾶσθαι. Κατωρ ρώδουν γὰρ τὸ ἔθνος οἱ Πέρσαι καὶ κατημέλουν, ζητοῦντες καθ' αὑτὸν ὡς εἶχεν ἕκαστος σῴζεσθαι. Καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν δὲ τῆς Περσίδος ἐκλυδωνίζετο, τῶν σατραπῶν ἐπανισταμένων, ὥστε καὶ δύο τῶν μεγιστάνων ἐκεῖθεν προσχωρῆσαι τῷ βασιλεῖ, τὸν σουλτάν, ὡς βλακικῶς διῆγε καὶ κατ' 183 ἰδιώτην ἀκόλαστον, ἐκ τοῦ προχείρου ὑπεριδόντας· οἱ Βασιλικοὶ δ' οὗτοι ἦσαν, ἄνδρες ἐκ Ῥόδου μὲν ἀνέκαθεν ὄντες, ἐκ θυμελικῆς δ' ἐπιτηδεύσεως τῷ σουλτὰν προσῳκειωμένοι, οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ καί, ὡς εὖ ἥκοντες τοῦ φρονεῖν, τὰ πρῶτα φέροντες ἐν ἐκείνῳ, βρύοντες δὲ καὶ χρυσῷ πολλῷ, ὅσος ἦν ἐν ἐκπώμασιν καὶ ὅσος κατειργασμένος εἰς χαλυφικὸν νόμισμα· τὸ δὲ τῶν βήλων, ἔτι δὲ λίθων καὶ μαργάρων αὔταρκες ἦν τοὺς εἰδότας θαυμάσαι. Παλαιᾶς γοῦν φιλίας τῆς πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ὑπομνησθέντες, ἱκανοῦ δοκοῦντος σφίσι καὶ τοῦ κρατοῦντος, εὖ παρ' ἐκείνων παθόντος πάλαι, κατὰ τοὐπιὸν ἀπομνημονεύειν τὴν χάριν, βασιλέως καταστάντος καὶ δυναμένου, τὰ πιστὰ λαβόντες διὰ γραμμάτων ἐν ἀπορρήτοις βασιλικῶν καὶ τὰ καθ' αὑτοὺς εὖ διαθέμενοι, ὅλῳ ῥυτῆρι πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα χωροῦσιν ἐν αὐτομόλων σχήματι. Ὁ δὲ δέχεταί τε ἀσμένως καὶ τιμᾷ τοῖς προσήκουσι, τὸν μὲν παρακοιμώμενον τοῦ κοιτῶνος καταστησάμενος τὸν Βασίλειον, θάτερον δὲ τὸν Βασιλικὸν μέγαν ἑταιρειάρχην ἀποδείξας· καὶ ἐχρᾶτο τούτοις, δεξιοῖς ἐς ὅτι μάλιστα εἰς τὰ πράγματα φαινομένοις, καὶ ἡ πρὸς αὐτοὺς φιλία τοῦ βασιλέως προσῆν. Οἱ δέ, πολλὰ μὲν οἴκοθεν ἔχοντες, οὐκ ὀλίγα δὲ καὶ παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως εἰς οἰκονομίαν λαβόντες, πιστῶς μάλα καὶ εὐνοϊκῶς, κατὰ Ῥωμαίους μετασχηματισθέντες, ὑπηρετοῦντο τῷ βασιλεῖ· οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως συνίστησι τὰς εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν εὐνοίας